Abstract
In this study, the use of composite track-etched membranes (TeMs) based on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and electrolessly deposited silver microtubes (MTs) for the decomposition of toxic phenothiazine cationic dye, methylene blue (MB), under visible light was investigated. The structure and composition of the composite membranes were elucidated by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction technique. Under visible light irradiation, composite membrane with embedded silver MTs (Ag/PET) displayed high photocatalytic efficiency. The effects of various parameters such as initial dye concentration, temperature, and sample exposure time on the photocatalytic degradation process were studied. The decomposition reaction of MB was found to follow the Langmuir–Hinshelwood mechanism and a pseudo-first-order kinetic model. The degradation kinetics of MB accelerated with increasing temperature and activation energy, Ea, was calculated to be 20.6 kJ/mol. The reusability of the catalyst was also investigated for 11 consecutive runs without any activation and regeneration procedures. The Ag/PET composite performed at high degradation efficiency of over 68% after 11 consecutive uses.
Highlights
More than 100,000 synthetic dyes are commercially available and are widely used in industry
The aim of this study was to evaluate the catalytic performance of composite track-etched membranes (TeMs) with electrolessly deposited silver microtubes (MTs) in the decomposition of a model dye, methylene blue (MB), under visible light
The deposition rate, R, of the electroless silver plating was expressed as weight gain per 1 cm2 of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) TeMs during the deposition process and was found to be 1.1 ± 0.01 mg/cm2 × h at 275 K for all prepared samples
Summary
More than 100,000 synthetic dyes are commercially available and are widely used in industry. They represent one of the largest groups of toxic and carcinogenic organic compounds, and almost 20% of the world’s water pollution is caused by dyes [1,2]. Health Organization cites these compounds among the main causes of water pollution worldwide [4,5]. Of the toxic water pollutants identified (chemical dyes, pesticides, paints, and solvents), about 72 are dye compounds, and 30 of them are non-degradable. Harmful carcinogenic species such as aromatic compounds and benzidine are used to produce a range of dyes, which makes them extremely dangerous to human health [4,8]. There has been a lot of research focusing on the use of nanomaterial-based photocatalysts in decomposition of dye pollutants [9,10,11,12]
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